Fishy tales

If you can buy a whole skate wing, use the leftover cartilage in fish soups and stews.

Skate can grow to more than 2m when measured from one wingtip to the other, and have been known to weigh over 115kg. St John’s College, Cambridge, once fed

120 people from one fish.

It’s believed the name ‘ray’ comes from the French raie, which refers to the long fibres of flesh in the wings of the fish.

The thornback ray in certain seasons swims in unisex shoals, which is unusual.

Some skate can live to be around 70 years old.